


jon is too busy to schedule an exhaustion-breakdown so he gets a surprise nap instead

by taylor_tut



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Exhaustion, Fainting, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Overworking, POV Sasha James
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:20:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28376088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taylor_tut/pseuds/taylor_tut
Summary: a short request from my tumblr for Jon overworking himself. Set in season one. :)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 117





	jon is too busy to schedule an exhaustion-breakdown so he gets a surprise nap instead

There’s nothing more annoying to Sasha than meetings that could have been emails. 

They’re standing in a semi-circle, all together, pulled away from the mountains of work that each of them have separately to do that doesn’t even seem to dent the mountain they have to do collectively as a team, listening to Elias ramble on about the importance of the statement numbering system. 

“If we’re not numbering our statements properly,” he says for probably the third time, “we’ll end up with an even bigger mess on our hands than the one Gertrude left. Honestly, I think there could be some benefit to a secondary numbering system, and I’ve said this for some time. Obviously, it’s a project that will have to wait until we’ve got our ducks in a row, so to speak, but Gertrude’s system chronicles only the date that the statement was given, and I’ve always seen that as a weakness. Jon, perhaps you might add that to your radar for things to work on.” 

Sasha steels herself to keep from smiling at whatever witty retort he’s about to whisper under his breath, but it doesn’t come. 

Elias has been adding new priorities to Jon’s list constantly, it seems, sometimes a new one every day, and Jon has thus far been vocal about how ridiculous it is. It almost makes her glad she didn’t get the job, after all--doesn’t seem quite worth the trouble. Tim argues that she’s more suited for the role, which is true, but it’s not even the difficulty of the work that appears to be getting to Jon: it’s the sheer volume. Just task after tedious task. 

She’s not even sure he’s going home every night, anymore. 

Still, the silent nod is uncharacteristic for him, and something inside her flags it as more of a red flag than a white one. She looks over to him, realizing that though it’s pretty late in the afternoon, this is actually the first time she’s seen him out of his office all day, and he looks… worn. Not tired, so much that his eyes look dull rather than heavy and his posture screams more of pain than sleepiness. 

Explains why he’s not been out of his office, then. Martin would have been fussing by now, were his attention not otherwise occupied. 

She finds it difficult to focus on the rest of the meeting. Elias is still droning on, minute by minute, but she’s aware of nothing but the way Jon’s shoulder had begun touching hers, barely at first but now bumped up against it almost uncomfortably, and he doesn’t seem to have noticed. She’s stealing glances toward him that he’s not noticing because he seems to be focused solely on keeping his eyes open, and he’s growing pale. 

When she feels him shift, then reach out for her wrist, panic wells up in her chest. 

“Jon?” she calls, feeling him sway and his grip on her wrist go lax. “Oh!” 

If only barely, she’s able to get ahead of his faint, taking on his weight to keep him from hitting the ground so hard. Tim and Martin are quick to help since she slows the process down, getting him lying flat on the ground. Tim taps his face, predictably protective. 

At least it shuts Elias up. 

“What happened?” Martin asks, and Sasha shakes her head. 

“I’ve no idea,” she replies. Her voice is shaking and Martin lays a hand on her shoulder. “He sort of--grabbed my wrist, and then he collapsed.” 

“He’s probably not eaten or slept,” Tim supplies. “He gets like that when he’s working too hard.” 

It’s not  _ not _ a dig at Elias, and it’s taken as such. 

“If Jon is overloaded, he can say as much,” he says, but no one likes that, so he deflates. “I’ll find something in the break room for him to eat and drink.” 

Jon isn’t on the floor for long before he comes to with a small gasp. 

“Hey, it’s alright,” Sasha soothes as his eyes flutter around confusedly. “Relax. You’re okay.” 

“What… happened?” 

“We were hoping you could tell us,” Tim says, and Sasha squeezes his knee as a gentle warning--his heart is in the right place, but Jon is only just coming awake and needs some time. 

“You fainted on us a bit. How are you feeling?”

Jon groans, but fortunately, Sasha doesn’t think it’s connected to the question. “That’s humiliating.” 

“It’s just us, Jon,” Tim says. “You shouldn’t be embarrassed about it.”

“What do you need?” Martin asks. “Elias is—”

“Ugh.”

Martin bites down on a smile. “Elias is getting you some juice and a snack, and he’ll probably send you home.” 

“He’d better send you home,” Tim adds, “because I’m driving you either way.” 

“That won’t be necessary. It’s been--well, a few years, really. This used to happen at University, sometimes. Glass of water, and I’ll be on my feet again.” 

“Jon. ‘On your feet’ is not the only goal,” Sasha says. “You’ve got to take care of yourself.” 

“I’m--trying.” Sasha really does believe him. “There’s just. So many other things to take care of, too. I hate to let anything fall through the cracks.” 

“Well, the good news is that I think we might be able to convince Elias to take a few things off your plate, now,” Tim says. “I know for a fact that the researchers could be doing some of this busywork. Or perhaps you need a secretary—”

“Enough,” Jon curtails, but he’s smiling slightly. It fades when Elias returns. 

“Ah, you’re awake, I see. Here.” He hands over a bottle of water and a small bag of crisps, which Jon takes somewhat reluctantly. 

“Thank you,” he says meekly. “Sorry about--all this.” 

“No need for apologies. Just ensure it doesn’t happen again, alright? We need you at your best, after all.” 

Something about the way he says it finds Sasha gritting her teeth. But the meeting is over, Elias apparently deciding that a new numbering system for the statements isn’t so vitally important, after all, and he has the decency to allow Tim to drive Jon home as he’d promised. 

Well. At the pace they’d been keeping up, something had to give, and Sasha is just glad it’s not anything that can’t be repaired. 

Not yet.


End file.
